How do you prepare for a gig?

What items must you bring to every gig? How many guitars/instruments do you lug along? Amps? Backups?

What do you do to prepare yourself and or your band for a gig, or multiple gigs?

What are some of the biggest mistakes you have made before during or after a gig?

What do you think the most crucial thing you have learned is?

I'll say there is a big difference between playing one night versus multiple nights at the same location consecutively- especially if its the same crowd.

The 'How did you learn' thread is very successful and im glad its there for anyone to refrence and learn from. Help spread the knowledge. This thread can help anyone who might come across it. Can you rememeber all those mistakes you made early on? Lets dredge those up and discuss them so someone who hasnt thought of that can be prepared for it. How you learned from your mistakes probably plays into your future preparation, so do someone a favor and bring those troublesome things to their attention before something goes wrong at their gig.

Ever had the wiring go bad on a bass mid performance? Had that happen, but it wasnt too much of a problem- bassist also plays rythm buitar and had an octaver at the time. Problem temporarily solved. The wiring and pots were all rusted out, he had never opened the cavity so the failure was unexpected- it had been working alright beofre then, if only a bit crackly. Thats in the past.

Ever had the you SG break in two on the way home from the gig? Had that happen recently.

What do you do to prepare yourself and or your band for a gig, or multiple gigs?

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Know thy material; that is the truth, the way, and the light. You and your band should be able to play through any mistakes without dropping a beat. Knowledge is power; know your material inside-out. Know your gear inside-out. Know how to play your material without your favorite gear, too. Just because you don't have that chorus, you should still be able to finish the song.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you have made before during or after a gig?

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Hands down, for me, the biggest mistake was having more than two beers before a show. Two's fine, I loosen up without losing a step, but beyond that my playing suffers.

Another biggie is not getting the gig in writing. It's a great way to get shafted by the owner -- "Man, we just didn't pull enough customers, can't pay you full." BS and apple-butter, we saw the folks drinking.

Not bringing spares will almost always bite you in the ass one day. Bring a spare.